Share What You've Learned from #100cowenconvos

Conversations with Tyler will soon celebrate its 100th episode! To mark the occasion, we want to hear from you about how the podcast has made you wiser.

Share What  You’ve Learned with #100cowenconvos

 

Here are some insights gained by the CWTeam:

On innovation

“Since Ted Gioia’s appearance on Conversations with Tyler I’ve thought a lot about his distinction between the innovative and the formulaic in the history of music. Innovators create new formulas, but over time each one is deadened by imitation and repetition – and the structure of the music industry rewards this stagnation. The interview helped me to articulate my own musical preferences better, but more importantly, it revealed an insight to me that applies not just to the evolution of music but to many other arts, intellectual traditions, and economic patterns. These are all components of what he calls our ‘cultural cloud storage’ and are crucial insights for anyone interested in metapolitical anthropology.” – Sloane Shearman, marketing lead

On creative breakthroughs

“Many guests of Conversations with Tyler have talked about struggling to channel their creativity and I identify with that wholeheartedly. As someone who spends a lot of time working on creative projects, I can sometimes get bogged down in the day-to-day checklists and have trouble using my imagination. Listening to Larissa MacFarquhar, along with many other guests, mention similar thoughts on their creative thinking processes has helped me better understand my own originality. Sometimes it’s best to let our thoughts roam around in our heads, make weird connections with each other, and then push them out into the world, much like Larissa does when she’s writing. Maybe not all of my processes are purposeful in the moment, but they do eventually coalesce into a vision.” – Dallas Floer, producer

On… book covers?

“Tyler’s conversation with Jhumpa Lahiri prompted me to consider ways in which uniformity can focus attention on more thoughtful expressions of identity. A bland book cover encourages the reader to judge the book based on its contents, for example, and a school uniform encourages students to express their identity without the trappings of fashion. I read her essay The Clothing of Books immediately after listening to the conversation and it challenged me to think more purposefully about when and where the cover of ambiguity is useful.

But the insights gained are numerous, and I could’ve easily picked so many others : Ed Boyden on teamwork and collaboration, Masha Gessen on the emotional intensity of Russian friendship, Karl Ove Knausgård on writing in the middle of life, and hundreds more.” – Jeff Holmes, executive producer

On curiosity

“I remember listening to the John McWhorter episode while on a walk in the early spring. I couldn’t help but smile to myself throughout (no matter how crazy I looked). That interview really captures what is special about this podcast. John expressed such delight for the questions Tyler asked. I mean, the first question out of the gate was on the complexity of the Estonian language! Tyler’s genuine curiosity lights up his guests and inspires me to be that engaged and curious about the people I interact with.” – Ashley Schiller, lead relationship manager

On funding Peter Parker

“One of my favorite interviews is with Sam Altman. I started the episode knowing very little about the world of venture capitalism. After talking generally about identifying talent, Tyler began asking Sam whether various fictional characters and historical figures would be good investments. Immediately, I had a better understanding of how Sam applied the concepts he had just been discussing. Part of the magic of CWT is how Tyler creates a conversation that is somehow both accessible to people who share little expertise with the guest but also enlightening for a guest’s biggest superfans.” – Kate De Lanoy, media lead

You’ve heard what we’ve learned, but what about you? Share your top insights here using #100cowenconvos.